How Do You Know If Solar Panels Are Working

24 7 real time monitoring the solar analytics smart monitor keeps track of your solar energy system s performance in real time live five second data and measures against a number of benchmarks including local weather data.

How do you know if solar panels are working.

If solar panels are the brawn of your solar energy system then the inverter is the brain. A red or orange light during daylight hours means there s a system event or fault. Look at the figures on your generation meter. Fading fading fading don t let this happen to your panels.

When it s overcast your solar panels will likely operate at 10 to 25 of their rated capacity. Most generation meters will have some sort of indication light that will let you know instantly if your system is not functioning correctly. While solar panels work on cloudy and rainy days their output won t match that on clear sunny days. Your inverter makes the direct current dc produced by your solar panels useable as alternating current ac for your home.

Check this during the day when your system should be generating and if it is lit you may have a problem with a part of your solar system. A green light on your inverter means your system is functioning properly. What matters is how much sun your home gets year round. But don t get stuck on this detail.

In this kind of system if a single panel isn t working the whole string goes down kind of like if you cover half the panel on a solar calculator with your finger the calculator won t work. This loss of power can also be experienced if a couple of your panels are extra dirty or shaded.